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By Guest Columnist Deborah Dennis
John 9:1-3 (The Message)
Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind? Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.”
I was riding down the road a few weeks ago, listening to a Christian Radio Station. The morning show host was interviewing an up-and-coming artist who recently had become a father. It was not until the birth, did he and his wife discover that their child had Down’s Syndrome. The host asked him how he and his wife were dealing with this news. “It’s been very difficult. We’re overwhelmed and terrified all at the same time. Yet, we have been so touched by the outpouring of encouraging emails sent to us by parents of children with Down’s Syndrome. They have shown us so much love and support”, he answered.
I smiled as I listened, thinking of the story in John Chapter 9. So often, when things go wrong with our children, we have a tendency to blame ourselves.
After all, it’s got to be somebody’s fault. Sadly, as children with disabilities get older, society shifts the blame to them for their inabilities. I hate to say this, but church folks don’t do much better. Our faith tells us that we serve a God who can do all and heal all. In an effort to rationalize what is not understood, people with disabilities are categorized as either in sin, the product of sin, or simply not having enough “faith” to be healed.
I think this is exactly why this story is in the Bible. God wants us to know that when it comes to people having disabilities, it’s not about blame, sin, or not having enough faith. Sometimes things are not cause and effect. They just are. It doesn’t mean that people with disabilities are created less, or loved less.
As the mother of a child with Autism, I can tell you my son has taught me some valuable lessons. He has caused me, on many occasions, to stop and enjoy a precious moment when I would have normally been too busy to notice. He has made me a better mother, and by far, a more patient one. Because of Owen, I’m much more aware of children with disabilities and the struggles they face. If God never did anything else for my son, something I strongly don’t believe, the course of my life has been permanently changed. My six year old son with disabilities that all too often seem more than he can overcome, has completely transformed my thinking, the way I perceive others, and my momma DNA. If he can do all that in six years, no telling what he will set me straight on in the future. The way I see it, he has taught me more than I could ever teach him. If one child, can make that big of an impact, I think that it would benefit us all to be more open-minded about people with disabilities. We may just find that we are the ones lacking.
I think we all need to have the perspective of Jesus when his disciples asked him who to blame. We’re asking the wrong question. Instead we need to look for what God can do instead.
Click on the links below to read Deborah's other articles.
10.3.11 Column
10.27.11 Column
12.1.11 Column
1.6.12 Column
2.11.12 Column
There is an Autism and Spectrum Disorders Support Group in our area. Go to the Calendar of Events page and scroll down from the top to find out about Jeremiah's Promise and how you can become a part of this group.